Can I assume your car has “push-to-start” . . . ?
If so, you need a key fob AND the metal blade key . . . the one that is used to manually unlock the car doors
I would call that dealer and make 100% sure they’re also sending you the blade key. And it needs to be cut. Make sure they’re doing that, also, and not just sending you an uncut blade key to go along with the key fob
Good luck, and please let us know when the new key fob and blade arrive, and if they even work . . . !
I don’t know exactly what kind of system you have on the car. But in many cases, the transponders in each of the keys that will be used on the car will have to be programed at the same time. This is to make sure the lost key is useless (when found) on the car. Think of it this way. Under the old mechanical key system, it would be possible for someone sells a car but keeps one key instead of giving all the keys to the new owner, so that he can go to the new owner’s drive way and steal the car.
With my 2006 Ford Focus, I had to buy a new key, because I lost one of them. I had to go to a key shop to cut the key, but more importantly, I had to go through the process of mating the transponders in ALL my keys to the car’s ignition system. Surprisingly, the instructions were in the owner’s manual. It involved turning on and off the car so many times within so many seconds, inserting each key and doing some other stuff, so that the car’s ignition system would recognize those keys, and it would recognize only those keys that participated in that ritual. Since one key was lost, that key could not go through the mating process. So that key is useless. However, if I ever find that key, I would have to go through the process with all the keys with the ignition system to make all the keys function.
Look through your owner’s manual to see how one can program the key. It may be something simple.
I will try this again. A man left his truck running with the key in it and unlocked while he went into a QuikTrip store at 1:00 in the morning. Someone jumped in and crashed it a few miles away and the truck owners insurance covered the loss. Moral of story, get your replacement key and relax.
Also are you not going to divulge what this mystery vehicle is?
The last car we bought, the salesman could only come up with one key. Don’t ask me how they mis-filed it but on a new car they only had driver 2 and no miles on the car so who knows. It had been four years and no one stole the car so I wouldn’t worry about it. With paying for the new Fob and programming it etc. it cost the new car sales account somewhere around $300. I guess it happens.
A man left his truck running with the key in it and unlocked while he went into a QuikTrip store at 1:00 in the morning. Someone jumped in and crashed it a few miles away and the truck owners insurance covered the loss.
He probably took a hit in the insurance valuation, plus the deductible. Then he goes to the truck market to try to buy similar make/model/year, but he would have to pay hundreds or thousands out of his own pocket to make up the difference.
The last car we bought, the salesman could only come up with one key. Don’t ask me how they mis-filed it but on a new car they only had driver 2 and no miles on the car so who knows. It had been four years and no one stole the car so I wouldn’t worry about it. With paying for the new Fob and programming it etc. it cost the new car sales account somewhere around $300. I guess it happens.
Did the dealership document with the manufacturer that they themselves had mis-filed the key? Otherwise, when selling the car in the future, it could look like you are holding back one of the three keys on record.
Already traded. Never came up and no one ever stole the car.
I think we are done here. Honda Guy 70 needs to find someone to computer hack these so called key records for his peace of mind.
The driver should not get a surcharge for that accudent.
JUNE 27TH UPDATE: No key received yet. I called today, but Service Manager is now on vacation for next eleven days. So I faxed the service receipt (which documented the lost key) to dealership in care of the General Manager. I noted that I live a full day’s drive away and requested the key to be mailed. He called me to say he would look into it. The Dealership Manager contacted the Service Manager on his vacation to find out if a key had been ordered. Service Manager replied to him that he had been giving it some time to see if the key would turn up first. The Dealership Manager called me later to say that he will have his Parts Department order a key from the manufacturer today and then he will have his secretary mail the key to me. Even got an e-mail from the secretary confirming my address.
One foreseeable problem I haven’t yet brought up to the Dealership Manager: I have a feeling I am going to receive a ‘dud’ key that will fit into the ignition but not by-pass the immobilizer. To activate the key, I believe the car has to be present in the service department for them to program the code directly into the car’s computer. I am hoping the manufacturer will program the key based on the same original code as the car (should be a record of that with the manufacturer’s computer system), but somehow I doubt it will happen. They probably don’t want to be responsible for mailing a working key that gets stolen in the mail.
I thought about alerting the General Manager about this. But he could hold off the order and tell me to wait until next summer when I can drive the car all the way back to get the key programmed there. I’d rather have the key/fob in hand, since it costs about $200 for a spare. Then I will call to say it doesn’t work. That way I can negotiate to have that faraway dealership pay my local dealership to program it for them. Normally it’s like $150 to program it.
Don’t lose the key you have now. When the new key arrives, see if it works. If yes, send dealer a thank you note. If not, then contact dealer to determine the next action.
That shop is clearly incompetent and poorly managed
If they keep screwing up and you somehow are expected to pay out of pocket, I would escalate it to corporate
When getting the run-around, sometimes it is very helpful to simply make notes of everything that is said to you, promises made, etc, trying to be accurate and unbiased as you can, “just the facts” as Joe Friday used to say. Then send a copy of your notes to the person who said it, and a copy to some party not directly involved like the corporate office or another dealership office, or a consumer advocacy office, with cc’s showing to everyone where the copies are going to. Can prevent misunderstandings.
When I was dealing with a health service provider issue affecting an elderly relative of mine, I’d send a copy of my conversation notes to the service provider and to the local community public elder-assistance office. That seemed to get the att’n of the service provider straight away.